


Pains of the Past

by thelastofmeforever



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alice and Jasper have just joined the Cullens, Angst, Carlisle Cullen is a good dad, Families of Choice, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Jasper Hale angst, Jasper Hale whump, Jasper has never been part of a family, Multi, Past Abuse, Pre-Canon, Protective Rosalie, Scared Jasper, Slightly hurt Emmett, Traumatized Jasper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-07-15 01:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16052798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelastofmeforever/pseuds/thelastofmeforever
Summary: Alice and Jasper have only been with the Cullens for two weeks when Emmett decides to try and scare Edward but ends up scaring Jasper instead. Jasper, who doesn't yet trust the Cullens, reacts instinctively and bites Emmett. Carlisle arrives home to chaos. Can Carlisle use this as an opportunity to show Jasper that they mean him no harm?" “Jasper, what… what are you doing?”“Waitin’ for my punishment, sir.” Jasper did not lift his head.Carlisle fumbled for something to say before finally settling on, “That’s not necessary. I’m not going to hurt you.”Jasper did look up now and the confusion on his face made Carlisle’s long-dead heart want to break.“But I attacked a member of your coven. I deserve ta be punished.”Carlisle sighed sadly. “We’re not a coven, Jasper. At least, not like you’re used to. We’re a family... Punishments here are never, ever physical.”Jasper’s past had certainly left more than just physical scars and it would take a lot of time and a lot of love to help him heal, but Carlisle was confident that his family was up for the challenge.





	1. Chapter 1: Carlisle

**Author's Note:**

> I always found Alice & Jasper's relationship much more interesting than Edward & Bella's and I'm particularly fascinated with Jasper's past so I wrote this. Trigger warnings for mentions of past abuse and for mild off screen violence. Mild language warning. This is pre-canon so the Cullens have not met Bella yet. Sorry if anyone seems ooc, it's been a few years since I've read the books. This work is not beta-read.

Carlisle sighed as he climbed into his car and shut the door. It had been a slow day at the hospital, but the past two weeks had been crazy enough that he was beginning to wish that he could sleep. He had the next three days off and he planned to spend every minute of his break relaxing as much as possible.

As he drove down the twisting paths towards his home at breakneck speed, Carlisle thought about the new members of his family. Alice was a complete delight. She was intelligent, friendly, had limitless enthusiasm, and she was one of the few people Carlisle had ever met that could not only handle but draw both Edward and Rosalie out of their foulest moods. Esme adored Alice and Carlisle himself thought she was endlessly amusing. And her powers; they were absolutely fascinating! He had never, in all of his very long years, met a precognizant vampire. The closest, he supposed, was Aro, who could see into a person’s past when reading their mind. But Alice could see any future. It was amazing. Sufficeth to say, Alice fit in with the Cullens seamlessly.

Jasper, though. Carlisle had to admit, he was wary of Jasper. The younger vampire had shown up out of the blue with his mate two weeks ago and since then had hardly said more than a handful of words to anyone other than Alice. It was obvious that the man was only there for Alice’s sake. He had yet to relax since they’d arrived, always looming protectively over Alice and following her around like a shadow. Much of Jasper’s behavior reminded Carlisle of the feral vampires he had come across in the past. They were complete slaves to their instincts and while Jasper was obviously intelligent and in control of himself to a respectable degree, he retained certain, almost animalistic behaviors that were common among rural vampires. He rarely looked anyone in the eye but he was constantly shifting his gaze as though he were looking for threats. And he often bowed his head when someone new entered the room. It was hard to tell how tall he was because he was always hunched in on himself. He never put his hands in his pockets or behind his back, always keeping them in view unless he was holding Alice’s hand. He never spoke unless spoken to, at least to Carlisle. Probably, Carlisle supposed, because Jasper thought of him as the leader of their coven, rather than the head of their family, and thus was trying to show him the submission he thought was owed. The bite scars that covered Jasper’s hands and neck were a clear indication to Carlisle that he had fought in the Southern Armies. That was probably where he had picked up such traits.

To be honest, Carlisle found it all to be a little bit disturbing. Jasper clearly didn’t trust them, had probably been conditioned to distrust  _ everyone _ , and the way he sometimes flinched when someone moved to suddenly made Carlisle to suspect that he had been abused.

The thought that someone had instilled such fear and distrust in another person, especially someone as strong as Jasper, was sickening.

Carlisle shook his thoughts clear as he pulled his car into the driveway and turned it off. Gathering his briefcase and jacket, he stepped out of his car and took a deep breath. But he wasn’t greeted with the crisp scent of early autumn or the earthy smell of fallen leaves like he had expected. Instead, the stench of fear and anger filled his nostrils.

Willing himself to stay calm, Carlisle rushed inside, dropping his briefcase and jacket by the door as he went in search for his family. He found them in the den. Emmett was sprawled in a leather armchair, cursing as he held his arm protectively to his chest. Esme was crouched in front of him, trying to sooth him. A hardback book lay open, spine up on the floor. A furious Rosalie stood with tense shoulders and bared teeth between her husband and her new brother, who was cringing against the far wall which had a body-sized hole in the plaster. Despite Jasper being at least an inch taller, Rosalie towered over him. 

“What is  _ wrong _ with you?! Are you completely insane?! I should  _ kill _ you! You’re a danger to everyone here! You should be  _ put down! _ ”

In the corner, Alice was arguing fiercely with Edward who was stubbornly blocking her path to Jasper. She was demanding that he let her go to her mate, but Edward just kept shaking his head.

“What on Earth is going on here?”

Everyone turned to look at Carlisle and the room was silent for a split second before everyone started shouting at once. 

“It was an accident! He didn’t mean-”

“It was my fault! I shouldn’t of-”

“Jasper  _ bit _ Emmett! For no reason-”

“I heard growling and came running-”

“I told you he was dangerous, Carlisle-”

Jasper was the only one that didn’t speak up.

“Enough.” Carlisle spoke over them. He didn’t yell but his authoritative tone was one that he had spent many centuries perfecting. As he had expected, silence swept through the room. 

“Now, Rosalie, did you say that Jasper  _ bit _ Emmett?”

“Yes! Emmett didn’t do anything to him and that freak-”

“That’s enough, Rosalie!” Esme snapped at her. Rosalie huffed and crossed her arms but fell silent all the same.

Carlisle turned his attention to his wife and son. “Are you alright, Emmett?”

Rosalie scoffed in derision but Emmett nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just stings like a bitch.”

Carlisle was about to recommend that he try rinsing the venom out when a low Southern voice said, “Helps if you lick it. You’re saliva’ll counteract the venom.”

Rosalie took a threatening step towards Jasper, who folded himself even smaller, if that were possible, but she stopped when Emmett gave a sigh of relief. He was licking his forearm where a fresh bite mark stood out starkly against his alabaster skin. “That is so much better! Thanks, Jazz.”

Rosalie scowled even harder at her husband’s forgiveness, but decided that checking on him took precedence over scaring Jasper. She moved quickly to Emmett’s side and began fussing over him. Esme took a step back to give them some space.

Even though Rosalie had moved away, Jasper stayed where he was, almost huddled against the wall with his eyes locked on the ground.

“Jasper,” Carlisle said, keeping his voice calm and free of anger. Jasper’s gaze darted up to his face for a second before it settled on his shoes. “Are you hurt?”

Rosalie snarled. “Who gives a shit if he’s hurt?! He’s the one who-”

“Rosalie, take Emmett to get cleaned up,” Carlisle ordered sternly. Rosalie looked ready to protest but Esme ushered her and Emmett forcibly from the room. She closed the door behind them. Carlisle relaxed slightly. Esme would keep them occupied. He turned his attention back to Jasper.

“Are you hurt?” He asked again. Jasper’s brow furrowed in confusion but he answered honestly all the same.

“No, sir.”

Carlisle relaxed further. 

“Good.”

He turned to Edward and Alice. Edward had his characteristic glower on but Alice’s eyes were wide with sadness and worry.

“What happened?” 

Alice quickly spoke up before Edward could. She had probably seen the question coming.

“Jasper was coming in here to read while Esme and I worked in her studio. But Emmett was hiding by the door and jumped out to scare Jasper, thinking he was Edward. Jasper thought he was a threat and reacted instinctively. I didn’t see it in time to stop him! He didn’t mean to hurt anyone! He was just frightened!” That explained the discarded book.  Alice looked like she would be in tears if that were possible. Carlisle gave Alice a grateful nod before looking to his eldest. Edward didn’t wait for the question to be voiced before he spoke.

“That’s true but Carlisle, he just went crazy! He had his teeth in Emmett and I heard the growls and came running and met Alice and Esme at the door. Rosalie barreled in and yanked Jasper off of Emmett and threw him against the wall!” That explained the hole in the wall. “I pulled Alice into a corner to keep her safe. Goddammit Carlisle, I told you he was dangerous!”  

“He was scared!” Alice wailed. Carlisle held up a hand to silence them both. He turned to Jasper.

“What happened here?”

Jasper shrugged. “‘S like they said. Emmett was jus’ messin’ around and I overreacted. I bit him. ‘M sorry.”

Carlisle nodded thoughtfully. “Can you stand, Jasper?”

Jasper rose silently to his feet. Alice darted past Edward and threw her arms around her mate, stroking his hair soothingly as she whispered reassurances to him. Edward walked over to Carlisle. He spoke low enough to not be overheard.

“I know you want to give him a chance, Carlisle, and I respect that, but look what’s happened! He attacked Emmett!”

_ “He was startled, Edward, and his reaction was understandable for someone with his history.” _

Edward read his thoughts easily. “That doesn’t make it okay!”

_ “I never said it did. I said it made it understandable. We know Emmett is harmless but Jasper doesn’t. He just saw a giant male vampire rushing him out of nowhere. That’s plenty of reason to be alarmed. Try to understand, he has a very troubled past. You know better than anyone what’s going on in that boy’s head. Besides, he seems genuinely remorseful.” _ And he did. His held Alice up so that she could reach his ear. A light tremor had overtaken him and he clutched his mate like a teddy bear.

Edward grumbled and admitted, “He is. He didn’t want to hurt Emmett. He’s actually terrified of what you’re going to do.”

Carlisle cocked his head slightly.  _ “What do you mean?” _

“I mean,” Edward said, lowering his voice further, “he thinks you’re going to punish him. Either hurt him physically or lock him up somehow or deny him blood or  _ something _ as payback for hurting a member of your coven.”

Carlisle was absolutely horrified.  _ “I would never-” _

“I know that,” Edward interrupted, “But it’s like you said, he’s been through a lot. He doesn’t understand that that’s not the way we do things here. You’ll just have to show him otherwise.”

That suddenly felt like an impossible responsibility and Carlisle couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“You’ll be fine. Just treat him how you would any of us.”

Carlisle took a deep breath and nodded.  _ “Thank you, Edward.” _

Edward gave him a tight smile and stepped back, effectively ending their conversation. Alice and Jasper were still wrapped around each other and Jasper seemed a bit more relaxed. Carlisle cleared his throat to get their attention.

“Jasper, I’d like to speak to you privately, if that’s alright.”

Jasper went tense again and his grip on Alice tightened. Edward sighed.

“Calm down, would you? It’s nothing like that. He really just wants to talk.”

Carlisle wondered what was going through Jasper’s mind. Jasper looked skeptical but nodded all the same, setting Alice down. She kissed him once more on the cheek and murmured “You’ll be alright.” She held his hand for a moment longer before she followed Edward out the door, stooping to pick up the forgotten book as she passed it. Jasper stared longingly after her. After a moment, Carlisle decided to speak.

“Let’s go to my office, shall we?”

Jasper nodded stiffly and followed Carlisle out of the den.

The rest of the house was quiet and Carlisle assumed the others had gone, probably into the woods, to give them some privacy. Hopefully that made Jasper feel more secure.

Carlisle led the way into his office. It was a fairly large room with a large window that loomed over a fine mahogany desk. The walls were lined with bookcases, each shelf filled with leatherbound volumes of varying ages and conditions. Interesting relics and nicknacks that Carlisle had accumulated over the centuries were also on display. He walked over to sit behind his desk.

“Shut the door, please.”

There was a small click indicating that Jasper had done so. Carlisle took a moment to settle into his chair before he looked back at his new son. But Jasper wasn’t standing in front of the desk like Carlisle had expected, nor was he sitting in one of the armchair like his other children would have been. Instead, he was kneeling on the floor, hands resting palms up on his knees, with his head bowed low enough to expose the scarred white of his neck.

If he wasn’t a vampire, Carlisle would have vomited. As it was, he was a vampire and so he just swallowed thickly.

“Jasper, what… what are you doing?”

“Waitin’ for my punishment, sir.” Jasper did not lift his head.

Carlisle fumbled for something to say before finally settling on, “That’s not necessary. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Jasper did look up now and the confusion on his face made Carlisle’s long-dead heart want to break.

“But I attacked a member of your coven. I deserve ta be punished.”

Carlisle sighed sadly. “We’re not a coven, Jasper. At least, not like you’re used to. We’re a family. We talk through our issues like adults and try to resolve problems together. Punishments here are never,  _ ever _ physical.”

Jasper’s forehead wrinkled further and he squinted suspiciously at Carlisle.

“Violence is abhorrent to me, except as a last resort. I have never raised a hand against my children or my wife and I’m not about to start now. Please believe me.”

Jasper still didn’t look convinced but he nodded anyway. Carlisle smiled gently. “Please take a seat.” He indicated to one of the armchairs opposite him. Jasper rose slowly, watching Carlisle for any sign of a trick, but Carlisle remained calm, waiting patiently for Jasper to sit. Once the younger vampire was settled, Carlisle spoke.

“Emmett startled you when he jumped out at you in the den. Is that why you bit him?”

Jasper nodded. “Yessir. ‘S just instinct. I didn’t mean ta hurt ‘im.”

Carlisle smiled softly. “Emmett fancies himself a practical joker. He likes getting reactions out of people but please believe me when I say that he never intended to hurt you.”

Jasper nodded again. “I know. Lookin’ back, I shoulda sensed he wasn’t bein’ aggressive.”

Carlisle’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean, you “should have sensed it”?”

Jasper tensed further and bit his lip for a moment before answering. “I… I have a… talent, I s’pose. Like Alice ‘n’ Edward. I can sorta sense what other people are feelin’.”

Carlisle raised his eyebrows. “You’re empathic. That’s quite the talent. Can you only feel the emotions of other vampires?”

Jasper shook his head. “No sir, works on humans and vamps alike. And if I need ta,” he hesitated, “I can sorta control ‘em.”

Carlisle’s eyebrows were nearly to his hairline now. “You can control people’s emotions?”

“Some of ‘em. I can’t make you hate Esme or anyone else you care ‘bout. But I can make you feel angry at ‘em. Or, if you’re angry, I can calm you down.”

“Are you doing that right now?” Carlisle asked in mild alarm.

“No sir! I swear! I ain’t used it on anyone ‘cept Alice since we came here, ‘n’ she already knows ‘bout it.” Jasper’s fervent answer caused Carlisle to relax some.

“I believe you. Thank you for telling me. I appreciate your trust.”

Jasper just shrugged. He said nothing.

“Back to the issue at hand, I don’t think I have to tell you that violence is not tolerated in this house. Occasionally some of us will roughhouse outside, but that’s just for fun and we never aim to hurt anyone. Do you understand?”

Jasper nodded. “‘M sorry.”

“I know. And thank you. But I’m afraid there must be some consequences.”

Jasper’s head darted up and he looked at Carlisle with wide, pleading eyes. “Please, sir, it was my fault. Alice had nothin’ to do with it. Please don’ hurt ‘er.”

Carlisle jerked slightly in surprise. “I would never hurt Alice, or you. Remember what I told you. Punishments here are  _ never _ physical. Nothing you could ever do, short of purposefully attacking someone, could ever make me react with any kind of violence, and even then, only to subdue you. And I would  _ never _ ,  _ never _ dream of harming Alice to punish you, or vice versa.” The mere thought made Carlisle want to be sick. What kind of monster could ever be so cruel?

Jasper stared at his face, obviously looking for something. He must have found it or maybe he didn’t because the tension suddenly left his body and he fell back into his chair.

“Thank you, sir.”

Carlisle shook his head with a sad smile. “There’s no need to thank me for being a decent person, Jasper.”

Jasper looked like he disagreed but he didn’t press the issue. “What will my punishment be, sir?”

Carlisle tapped his chin as he thought. “You and Emmett will spend tomorrow raking leaves and sweeping the porches.”

“Me ‘n’ Emmett, sir?”

Carlisle nodded. “Emmett is just as much at fault in this as you are. He should not have scared you, no matter who he thought you were.”

“You don’t gotta punish Emmett too. I can take it. It was my fault anyway.” Jasper looked down in shame.

“That’s very kind of you, Jasper, but I’m afraid we’ll have to agree to disagree. Emmett has been warned several times about trying to scare people and he did it anyway. He will face the consequences alongside you.”

Jasper looked thoughtfully at his lap for a few minutes before he looked up and nodded. “Yessir. I understand.”

Carlisle smiled widely. “Excellent. You can go now if you wish. I have some work I need to do here.”

Jasper nodded and stood. He had opened the door and was almost out of the room when he paused.

“Carlisle?” Jasper’s voice was soft. “Thank you.”

He left before Carlisle could respond. The doctor smiled to himself. He was relieved that he had managed to alleviate at least some of Jasper’s fear and teach him a little bit more about how their family operated. 

Carlisle sorted through his cluttered desk for a while before he heard the front door open and his family entered. They were talking and laughing cheerfully and it warmed Carlisle’s heart. 

A moment later there was a knock on the door and Esme stuck he head in. All the tension and stress of the day fell away at the sight of her and Carlisle opened his arms in invitation. She curled up in his lap and began stroking his chest. Carlisle buried his nose in her hair. She smelled divine.

“How did it go?” She asked softly.

“Well enough, I think.” Carlisle told her. He hesitated but then continued. “He thought I was going to hurt him. Or hurt Alice in order to punish him.”

Esme gasped in horror and her hand ceased it’s soothing motions, clutching her husband’s shirt instead.

“Why would he think that?”

Carlisle shrugged. “He’s probably been punished with violence before and seen others punished through their mate. It’s all he knows.” 

Esme whimpered and buried her face in Carlisle’s shoulder. “That poor boy.”

Carlisle stroked her hair soothingly. “He’ll be alright, my love. These things take time.”

Esme nodded in acknowledgment but didn’t lift her head. They sat in silence for several minutes before Esme asked, “What did you do? Did you let him off with a warning?”

Carlisle shook his head. “I thought it would be best to prove to him that we’re not going hurt him. I gave him and Emmett the same punishment. Hopefully it will show him that I’m treating him fairly.”

Esme hummed in approval. “What’s the punishment?”

“They’ll be raking leaves tomorrow and they’ll sweep the porches for you. Now that you mention it…  _ Edward, _ ” Carlisle called mentally,  _ “will you tell Emmett that he’ll be raking leaves tomorrow?” _ Edward must have done as he was asked because an “Oh, man!” echoed through the house, followed by teasing laughter from his siblings. Carlisle chuckled as well and tightened his grip on his wife.

Jasper’s past had certainly left more than just physical scars and it would take a lot of time and a lot of love to help him heal, but Carlisle was confident that his family was up for the challenge. One day Jasper would no longer have to live in fear. He was sure of it.  


	2. Promises of the Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper and Emmett face the consequences of their "fight" and Jasper asks some important questions about Carlisle and the Cullen family.
> 
> ""This was a huge risk. Not just for him, but for Alice. But Alice was also the one that had told him that the Cullens could be trusted. That they would be their family one day. He’d trusted Alice this far, maybe he could trust a little more."

It was cold today. Not that it really mattered to Jasper. It had been about a century since he had been affected by anything as trivial as weather. Still, the scent of damp earth permeated the air and a delicate layer of frost coated the fallen leaves. Jasper had started his day early, leaving the Cullen house at five a.m. and heading to the shed in the backyard, where he collected a metal rake and a wheelbarrow.

If he could get his assigned punishment over and done with before the others started their days, maybe he could avoid Emmett altogether, and thus be spared Emmett’s undoubted rage about being forced into doing menial chores as a consequence for something that was so obviously Jasper’s fault.

Alice had told him that this was ridiculous and that Emmett was almost incapable of holding a grudge, but Jasper’s past was louder and in his experience, vampire alpha males like Emmett did not take well to being bested by someone as slim and unassuming as Jasper. And while Jasper had no doubt that he could take Emmett in a fight (he did have superior speed, greater experience, and his empathic abilities on his side), he was not willing to risk Carlisle’s (or Rosalie’s, for that matter) wrath should he harm the younger vampire. Not after Carlisle had been so merciful when punishing Jasper for biting Emmett in the first place.

Jasper decided to start working in the far right corner of the yard and work his way across the yard and towards the house. After he finished the backyard, he would move to the front and then sweep the porches and walkways. The entire yard was about two acres and moving as quickly as he could (without breaking any equipment or damaging the yard), Jasper figured he would be finished by nine at the very latest. He’d just fallen into a comfortable rhythm of raking leaves when he sensed another presence behind him. Jasper dropped the rake and whirled around, falling instinctively into a fighting stance.

Emmett threw his hands up in surrender and took a step back. “Woah, sorry man. Didn’t mean to scare you… again. Shit, I’ve got to stop doing that.”

Jasper observed Emmett closely before forcing himself to relax. “Sorry. ‘S not your fault. Just wasn’t expectin’ you.” Jasper picked the rake back up and tried to find his rhythm again. But Emmett remained where he was, looking at him, and Jasper couldn’t help but feel unnerved by the attention.

“Yeah, I always seem to find you when you're lost in thought. Guess I'm used to Eddie being able to sense me coming with those freaky mind powers of his.”

Despite Emmett’s obvious attempt at humor, Jasper didn’t respond. Technically, he too should have been able to sense Emmett coming with his own “freaky mind powers” but, as the larger vampire had said, he’d been lost in thought. Jasper wanted to kick himself. Anyone could have snuck up behind him and killed him and he would have been none the wiser because he was busy  _ daydreaming _ .

Emmett cleared his throat awkwardly. “Aaaaanyway… how about I go get another rake and start giving you a hand with all of this?” He gestured vaguely to the leafy yard. Jasper quickly shook his head but didn’t look up from his work.

“You don’t gotta do that. I can do it m’self.”

Emmett’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I’m sure you could but I’m afraid I have to help you.”

“‘M sure you got better thangs to do than help me rake up leaves.”

Emmett shrugged. “Not really. Besides, this way it’ll be done twice as fast.” He bent and scooped up an armful of leaves, which he then dumped into the wheelbarrow.

Jasper stopped and turned to face him. He looked directly at Emmett’s nose, as he couldn’t bring himself to look the other male directly in the eyes. He didn’t want that to be misinterpreted as a challenge.

“Seriously, you don’t gotta do this. I got it covered. I won’t tell no one if you wanna ditch this.”

Emmett just scooped up another armful of leaves. “No can do, bro. You might not tell, but golden boy Eddie definitely will. And besides, Carlisle says I’ve got to help with this.”

Jasper definitely couldn’t argue with that. He returned to raking. They worked in silence for maybe fifteen minutes before Emmett let out an exasperated groan.

“This is so boring!”

Jasper hesitated, wondering if he should again offer to complete the task on his own, but Emmett kept on talking.

“Like, there’s no point in doing this. Esme doesn’t really  _ need _  the yard raked; it’s too late in the season for her to plant anything and as far as I know, all of her building projects are on hold until after Christmas. Carlisle’s only making us do this because he can.” Emmett bemoaned.

For some reason, Jasper felt the need to defend his new coven leader. “He was very merciful.”

Emmett paused and looked at him with furrowed brows. “Yeah… I guess…” He resumed working, “You’re right, I mean, it could have been much worse. This one time, about, oh, forty, fifty years ago, when we were living in Europe, Edward and I broke Esme’s greenhouse, like, completely demolished it, it was  _ awesome _ . It was an  _ accident _ , of course. But it was vintage, from the Victorian Era or something, so Esme was devastated, which meant that Carlisle was super pissed, like, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that mad! So he made me and Eddie pick up every piece of glass  _ by hand _ . And we had to be careful because if we gripped it too hard the pieces would break and we’d have even more to clean up. It took something like 56 hours! It was awful! I’ve never been so bored in my life! And Esme  _ cried _  when she found out about the greenhouse, so yeah, I’d take this any day.”

Jasper had stopped raking in favor of staring incredulously at Emmett. It didn’t make any sense.

“That…  _ that’s  _ the worst punishment you’ve ever gotten?”

Emmett stopped too and met Jasper’s gaze with his own confused look.

“Well, yeah. I mean,  _ I  _ think it was the worst but that's just my opinion.”

Jasper’s eyes were blown wide. “You mean he’s neva-” He cut himself off quickly. Emmett looked concerned now.

“Never what?”

Jasper took a deep, unnecessary breath. “Neva… beat ya, or starved ya, or tied you down and-”

Emmett made a noise that was almost like retching.

“No! No, god no! Carlisle would never do anything like that! Ever! He loves us and he hates violence.”

_ Loves  _ them?

“But what if ya really deserve it? Like, what if ya talk back, or hurt someone, or kill someone your not supposta?”

Emmett shook his head furiously.

“ _ No _ . Not even then. There is nothing we could do that would make Carlisle hurt us out of anger.”

It was like Jasper had been punched in the gut. Or hit by a truck. Carlisle had  _ never _  hurt them? Any of them? How was it even possible for a coven this large to function without the threat of violence? How did Carlisle remain in control?

_ He loves us. _

“Ya said he… that he loves ya?”

Well, duh. We’re family.”

But vampires don’t have families.

“That’s not ‘ow it works,” Jasper argued.

Emmett shrugged. “Maybe not where you’re from. But here, Carlisle is our dad, Esme’s our mom, and we’re their kids. We’re a family. We love each other.”

Emmett spoke so easily, so casually, as though he wasn’t currently destroying Jasper’s entire world view. Silence reigned for several more minutes as Jasper tried to reconcile what he’d been told with what he had experienced. It was Emmett, once again, who broke the silence.

“Did… did all of that… that shit... really happen to you?”

Jasper looked down and nodded. If it were possible, he would have blushed in shame.

“ _ Shit. _ ” Emmett muttered under his breath. “You mean you’re old coven leader…”

“Maria.”

“Maria…” Emmett seemed to roll the name around in his mouth, trying to get a taste of it, “Maria… hit you and… and tied you down and shit?”

Jasper nodded again.

“Wha… how…” Emmett floundered. Jasper waited patiently for him to complete his question.

“How do you tie down a vampire?”

The question surprised Jasper so much that he spoke without considering the potential danger of sharing such information. “Ya use the entrails of another vamp.”

Emmett looked positively horrified and he staggered slightly. If he were human, Jasper was sure Emmett would have thrown up.

“That’s… that’s  _ sick _ !”

Jasper just shrugged and started raking again. “That’s ‘ow it works.”

“No!” Emmett yanked the rake from the other vampire’s hands and threw it across the yard. Jasper startled and jumped back a little. Emmett raised his hands calmingly, realizing he might have gone too far. Jasper watched him closely.

“That’s how it  _ used _  to work,” Emmett’s voice was the very definition of fervent. “Not anymore. I swear on my  _ mate _ , no one will hurt you here.”

Jasper swallowed a mouthful of venom nervously. This was a  _ huge  _ risk. Not just for him, but for Alice. But Alice was also the one that had told him that the Cullens could be trusted. That they would be their family one day. He’d trusted Alice this far, maybe he could trust a little more.

“You swear?” He asked and dammit if his voice didn’t shake.

“On my life.” Emmett responded.

Jasper deliberated for several more moments and then finally, he nodded.

Emmett’s face broke out into a smile.

“Or my un-life, whichever makes more sense.”

Jasper couldn’t help but laugh at Emmett’s lame joke. As he laughed, a pair of slim arms wrapped themselves around his waist. He turned to look at Alice.

“I told you.” She said brightly, and even with that smug grin she was breathtaking. Jasper kissed her gently.

“You did. Thank you.”

_ Thank you for this family. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not terribly happy with the ending, but I wanted to get this posted. Please let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about the ending... I'm going to leave it anyway. Please let me know what you think! Leave kudos and/or a review, I'd love to hear from you! No flames please, only constructive criticism. (I have an idea for another chapter that focuses more on Jasper's pov but we'll see if that actually happens.)


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